Page 106 of Sinful Promises

I fell to my knees next to him and we peered into the water. I gasped. “A boat. When did it sink?”

“Back in 2011. It would cost too much to salvage it. When it’s warmer, we’ll swim down to it. You can go right inside. It’s fun.”

I frowned at him, shaking my head.

“What?”

I sat back on my heels and blinked at him. “Roman, I won’t be here when it’s warmer. Remember?”

He cleared his throat and nodded, but I could tell he was rolling something around his brain. It was like he was in denial. But this was not something that was going away.

“Back on your seat, babe. We’ve got a little farther to go.”

Babe. I loved the sound of that.

He ramped up the engine and I tugged the scarf around my neck again, trying to keep the cool breeze off my chest. Roman traversed a point that jutted out like a crooked finger and hugging close to shore, we traveled for about another fifteen minutes before he slowed again.

“Have a look.” He indicated over the side again, and as I stared into the pristine blue water, I saw another sunken boat, and another, and another.

“Wow, what happened?”

He shrugged. “There are over sixty boats down there. People are reckless and stupid. They see a pretty place to stop and get distracted. Every year another one goes down around here.”

“Well as long as it’s not ours.”

“Not a chance.”

He got moving again and we passed yet another rocky point, and then Roman aimed for a narrow valley. Cliffs towered on either side and ahead of us was a tiny rocky beach.

“Hang on, babe.”

I gripped onto the seat, and he drove the boat right onto the gravel, swapping the noise of the engine with the crunch of tiny rocks beneath the metal.

He jumped out and reached for my hand. “We’re here.”

I frowned. “Here?”

“Yes. Our own private beach.”

“I thought we were going fishing.”

“Maybe we will.” His grin was cheeky and perfect.

My feet crunched across the rocks as I stepped back, letting Roman secure the boat in position.

The spot was very secluded. Giant cliffs towered above us on all three sides, creating a natural windbreak. The only way in was via boat. With the sun streaming into our little beach, and the wind gone, it was quiet and lovely.

Roman unzipped the bag he’d brought and tugged a blanket free. He billowed it out and laid it onto the sand. As he set about placing one thing after the next onto the rug, my brain slammed straight to Luca and our little picnic. Clenching my fists, I fought to scrape that memory from my head.

Stay in the now, Daisy.

When Roman finally turned to me, absolutely beaming, I was so in the now.

“Your picnic, madam.”

I curtsied. “Why thank you, sir.”

We sat on the blanket, and it took a little bit of wriggling around to get comfortable on top of the tiny rocks.