expect anything,” he assured. “I just want to get out of here and I’d like you to come along. It’ll be an adventure, I promise.”
“Why me?” she said.
“I don’t know. I like the sound of your voice. It relaxes me. And I don’t want to go without you.”
“Where will we go?”
“I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”
She smiled, then nodded. “All right. Yes, I’ll go with you.”
Derek grinned. “All right.” He pushed open the door to the stairwell. “We’re going up,” he said. “It’s going to be a hike.” Pointing to her shoes, he shook his head. “And those are going to kill you.” He turned his back to her. “Hop on.”
“You’re going to carry me up the stairs?”
“Yes,” Derek said. “You don’t think I can do it?”
“I’m perfectly capable of walking.” She kicked off her shoes, picked them up and handed them to him. “I bet I can beat you to the top.” With a laugh, she started up the stairs. Tess was already on the first landing before he’d even moved.
Derek chuckled to himself. Now, this was going to be fun—a woman as beautiful as Tess challenging him to a race in her party dress and bare feet in a hotel stairwell. Either she’d had too much scotch or she was the most charming creature he’d ever met. He intended to spend the rest of the evening figuring out which it was.
2
WHEN THEY GOT TO THE DOOR of his room, they were both out of breath. Tess leaned back against the wall as he slid the key card through the lock. Suddenly it felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders.
It wasn’t really right to run away from her doubts and insecurities—or from Jeffrey—but she was tired of always choosing the safe route. From the time she was seven, she’d had to be the responsible one, always doing her best to choose the right path, make the right decision. For once, she wanted to do something impetuous. She wasn’t sure what she’d tell Jeffrey or how he’d feel about being stood up. For one night, she could be wild and spontaneous. Tomorrow she’d start the rest of her life, but tonight she’d be the woman she always wanted to be.
Derek pushed open the door and stepped aside, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath. “Man, you are fast.”
“You’re not one of those guys that always has to win, are you?” Tess asked. “Because we can go back and do it again, and I can pretend to pull up lame on the last flight of stairs.”
He laughed, then swept his arm in front of him. “After you, Secretariat,” he said.
“Was that a horse joke?”
“A bad attempt at one.”
“Very clever. But Secretariat was a stallion. Genuine Risk was a mare and she won the Derby. And placed at Belmont and Pimlico. My horse, Genny, is named after her.”
“You’re faster than me. You’re prettier than me. And you have your own horse. I think I may have found the perfect woman.”
Tess strolled into the suite. It was so easy to relax around Derek. She could be herself, say anything that came into her head, something she’d never been able to do around Jeffrey.
The lights were low and through the wide windows on the opposite wall, she could see the far side of the Cumberland River. She walked over and looked down, watching a barge slowly float south with the current. A moment later, he joined her, bracing his hands on the windowsill next to her.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
“I’ve never really liked this hotel,” he said. “But I’m beginning to think I might have been wrong. It is beautiful.”
“Do you have a home somewhere, or do you just go from hotel to hotel?” she asked, turning to face him.
“I live out of a suitcase,” he said, pointing to the packed garment bag lying on the sofa.
Tess waited for him to continue, but he was suddenly silent. His gaze dropped to her mouth and she felt her heart begin to pound in her chest. Was he thinking of kissing her? She hadn’t been kissed by anyone other than Jeffrey for over four years. But she wasn’t nervous … just curious.
What would it feel like? Would the thrill racing through her right now increase? The anticipation was so delicious, Tess wanted it to last forever. Anticipation was all she could enjoy, after all. She was supposed to be in love with Jeffrey, committed to him.
He leaned closer and she waited, hoping, knowing that it would probably be more wonderful than she could imagine. But then he drew a deep breath and smiled. “Champagne,” he murmured. “I’m going to open a bottle of champagne. Would you like something to eat before we leave? Unfortunately, we don’t keep the jet stocked.”
Tess swallowed hard. She hated flying. “We’re going on a jet?”
“Did you think we’d just set out on foot? Or maybe hop on our bicycles? I have a little more style than that.”
“I kind of thought we were metaphorically running away. I assumed we’d stay here. Or maybe go out and get some dinner.”
“We could do that,” Derek said. “But if we’re going to run, I figure we should run as fast and as far as we can.”
“Yes,” she murmured, so caught up in the fantasy that she could think of only one answer. “Let’s go. Right now. Where are we going?”
“I assume you’re not carrying a passport, so we’ll have to go get that first. You do have a passport, don’t you?”
Tess nodded. “I’ve never used it.”
He nodded. “Good. Now, where to go? I really don’t want to spend the next ten hours on a plane. How about if we fly to the Caribbean? We can be walking on a beach in three, maybe four hours. Does that sound good?”
The thought of escaping to a warm, sunny beach was almost too good to believe. But this was crazy! Derek Nolan was a complete stranger. “I can’t just leave the country. I don’t have anything to wear.”
“Sure we can. We’ll send a messenger to pick up your passport for you and they can meet us at the airport in Lexington. And then we’ll be on our way. Is there someone who can get the passport for you at your house?”
Tess nodded. “But what if we can’t get a flight? We don’t have reservations.”
“We’re taking my private jet,” he said. “And my family owns the island, so there won’t be any immigration problems. And where we’re going, you won’t need anything to wear.”
Tess’s breath caught in her throat. “What does that mean? I’m not going to run around naked.” Although the prospect seemed intriguing, she thought. Why not just cast aside all her inhibitions and go for it? This was her one chance to live without regret.
Derek
