---

I understood what it was like to fall in love with a piece of property. Unlike me, Victoria had no way of purchasing the property without hard work. Her ex was a piece of work to have squandered her hard-earned savings. I wanted to reach out and buy it for her right then. The problem was, I knew Victoria would never accept such a thing if she didn’t feel she earned it.

When it was time for dinner, the sun was just beginning to set. Since Penelope and Bodhi feasted on the nutritious cupcakes and tater tots, it was just me and Victoria dining on Chinese food.

I had a steward set up a small table for the two of us where we could eat and watch the sunset at the same time. We still had our flutes of sparkling wine. It would have been romantic if it weren’t for the plastic chopsticks and Styrofoam. Still, the mood wasn’t bad and the weather was perfect.

She looked beautiful, her hair swept back into a less-than-perfect ponytail. This was the first time I had seen her casually dressed and she looked more relaxed in these clothes than I had seen her since I met her. I wanted her to know that she could always feel this way around me - comfortable, safe - but I knew with someone as ferociously independent as she was, it was on me to earn that trust.

“How’s your food?” I asked. I watched as she ate with expert precision, using the plastic chopsticks as though they were extensions of her fingers. Her posture was perfect - shoulders rolled back, back straight. I felt as though she always felt she needed to be on.

“Good,” she admitted after she swallowed her food and dabbed the corner of her lips with the paper napkin. She held it in a loose fist, ensuring the gentle breeze wouldn’t blow it in the ocean. “Chinese Express is my go-to for takeout. I think Penelope is a little sick of it, if I’m being honest.”

I nodded. I wanted to ask her so many questions; questions about her ex, questions about Penelope, and her family, and the property she wanted. I just didn’t know how to bring that up naturally. It was none of my business. And while I appreciated what she already shared with me, I didn’t want to push my limits.

“Can I get more of this sparkling wine?” she asked after finishing the contents of her flute.

My brows shot up, surprised.

She immediately scowled. “What?” she snapped. “I’ve had a very tense day. I don’t need your judgment. And considering I usually have Penelope, I never have the ability to just calm my nerves. I refuse to get drunk in front of her. But knowing she’s with Bodhi...”

“You want to let loose,” I finished, a smile on my face.

“I…”

“Don’t feel guilty,” I said, recognizing the look on her face. I caught sight of my steward and gestured for him to bring the entire bottle. Victoria started to protest, but I interrupted her. “I completely understand. You’ve had to deal with a lot today. A bad call from the ex, jealousy, and passing by the dream house you worry will never be yours.”

“Jealousy?” Victoria snapped. “Of what? Of who?”

I chuckled as the steward dropped off the bottle. I thanked him and took it, pouring a healthy serving for both of us.

“Bre, of course,” I said before bringing the flute to my lips. “You do know you have nothing to worry about, right?”

“Being worried implies I care about your romantic life,” she said. “I can assure you I don’t.”

“Maybe we get a few more of these in you and we’ll see what you say at that point,” I teased, my eyes sparkling.

I was only making a joke. But when she pursed her lips, deep in thought, cocking her head to the side, I waited. She looked at the flute before flicking her eyes back at me.

“How much of this do you have?” she asked.

I raised my brow. I didn’t expect those words to come out of her mouth but I was glad they did. Drinking with Victoria was something I had wanted to indulge in, practically since I met her. I wanted to know if she could hold her liquor, what kind of drunk she was. It didn’t surprise me that Victoria Hunter was a lightweight. And that was with a stomach full of Chinese Express and three flutes of sparkling wine. She was also surprisingly hilarious, in that she found everything hilarious when she was drunk.

The sun started to set, painting the sky beautiful colors of pink, gold, and blue. We were both silent as we watched it, sitting side by side rather opposite each other. There was nothing like watching the sunset on the water. The gentle lapping of the water against the side of the ship, the way the colors melted into the sea, the way the rays of sunlight made the surface sparkle, it was all breathtaking.

Nearly as breathtaking as the woman next to me who - I glanced over - was snoring softly, her head thrown back so it rested on my shoulder, a little bit of drool hitting my sleeve.

I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from laughing.

There were many sides to Victoria I wanted to see. I just never thought it would be this one.

Without warning, she sat up. “Did I miss it?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so,” I said.

She pouted. I never thought I would see the day, but she pouted. And she looked downright adorable doing so.

“I really, really needed this,” she said once the sunset faded away. “Granted, I wanted to see the sunset, I don’t remember the last time I saw the sunset, but it’s nice to let loose every now and then. I sometimes have a glass of wine with dinner and it’s usually enough, but…” She let her voice trail off. “I’m more attracted to you than I want to be so, for the good of our professional relationship, I would greatly appreciate it if you could fix your face.”

“Fix my face?” I questioned. “Ms. Hunter, I think it’s time you retired for the night. You’re like a newborn gazelle. I’d be happy to assist you...” But when I looked over at her, she was out again. I shook my head, smirking, and knew I had no other choice but to carry her back to her room. Luckily, Penelope was already asleep on the other bed. I tried not to enjoy the feeling of Victoria’s warm body in my arms, but such a feat was impossible.