Chapter 19 - Sunset on the Atlantic
The sleek, mahogany-trimmed yacht sliced effortlessly through the deep blue waters of the Massachusetts Bay, leaving a white frothy wake behind us. The afternoon sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon, painting the sky in vibrant shades of amber, violet, and gold.
I stood near the bow, letting the cool ocean breeze whip my hair around my shoulders while Dominic stood directly behind me, his strong arms encircling my waist to steady me against the gentle swell of the waves.
"Are you warm enough?" Dominic asked, pressing a soft kiss against my cheek.
"I’m entirely warm," I smiled, leaning back against his chest and resting my hands over his. "This is incredible, Dominic. When was the last time we just stopped and stole an afternoon for ourselves?"
"Too long," he murmured, his gaze sweeping across the open ocean. "Between the foundation board meetings, the municipal expansions, and Leo’s endless soccer practices, we’ve been running at full speed."
"It's a good kind of busy," I noted softly. "It’s a life we built together out of the wreckage of something broken. Sometimes, when I look back at where I was—standing in that hotel ballroom, feeling invisible and terrified—it feels like a lifetime ago."
Dominic turned me around so I was facing him, his ice-blue eyes burning with an intensity that bypassed all my defenses. He reached up, cupping my face with his warm, calloused hand, his thumb gently tracing my cheekbone.
"You were never invisible to me, Khloe," he said, his voice dropping into that low, resonant register that commanded my entire soul. "Even that first night, when you were standing by those floral arrangements, trying to hold your dignity together while that parasite insulted you... I saw you. I knew right then that I would tear down the entire city before I let anyone hurt you again."
May you like
I placed my hand over his, feeling the steady, powerful pulse of his heartbeat matching my own. "You didn't just protect me, Dominic. You taught me how to stand in the light."
He pulled me flush against him, lowering his lips to mine in a deep, lingering kiss that tasted of salt air and eternal devotion. Above us, the gulls cried out as the sun dipped below the ocean line, sealing our world in golden tranquility.
