“Wow. I don’t know what to say. Thank you,” Becca said softly, unable to peel her eyes off the yacht.

“Let’s get on board.” Holding Becca’s hand, I led her inside. She was grinning from ear to ear and it got even bigger when she set her eyes on our private dining table, adorned with candlelight and flowers.

“Good evening, Mr. Knight, Ms. Miller.”

Becca looked stunned that Carlos, our personal chef, knew her name.

“Good evening,” Becca replied.

“Please watch your step. Mr. Knight, I’ll be back with the wine.” With that, Carlos disappeared.

After I helped Becca settle into her chair, I sat across from her. The cool breeze gently tousled her hair. Being under a heat lamp, we were able to enjoy the view on deck, instead of having to eat inside. So many boats sailed that night. I had planned to do just that after dinner, so Becca and I could be truly alone. She had no idea what was coming.

After Carlos poured the wine, he was out of sight. I lifted up my glass. “To our first Valentine’s Day together, and many more to come.”

Becca clinked the glass. “To a new beginning.” After she took a sip and placed the glass down, she let out a soft sigh. “Thank you, Matthew. Everything about today is amazing. I’ve been on Valentine’s Day dates before, but this is something else. You’ve gone out of your way to make me feel special.”

“Firecracker.” I lifted her chin to set my eyes on hers. “You are special to me in every way. You’re the only one that made me want to move forward, and I’m going to do everything I can to show you exactly what I mean.”

Becca gave me a huge smile. “Thank you.” That was all she could say. I think I just put out the fire in my firecracker.

MATTHEW MADE ME BLUSH big time with his words. I don’t know what I did to help him move on, but whatever it was, I’m sure glad it worked. Everything about tonight was fantastic. I would dream about this night for a very long time.

After dinner, Matthew gave me a tour of this fabulous yacht. The furnishings were elegant, with leather seats and fine wood cabinets. The television was state of the art, and everything else was nothing but the best. His mom was sure spoiled, but it was also sweet of her to allow him to use it for tonight.

“When you’re ready, you’ll have to meet my parents,” Matthew said out of the blue. “I mean when we’re both ready.”

“Matthew, remember one day at a time. I don’t want you to get sick of me so quickly,” I joked.

“Never,” he said, whisking me into his arms.

When he let go, I jerked back. “We’re moving?” I started to panic. “Where are we going and who’s driving?”

“Relax. Carlos not only cooks, but he is fully qualified to pilot this boat.”

Matthew wrapped a blanket around us, planted a kiss on my forehead, and led us out. We were heading into complete darkness, but the light from the other boats was a reminder we weren’t alone. From afar, they looked like stars, floating on the wave of the ocean. At times, it felt as though we were aimlessly drifting through the universe without a destination. There were no words. It was magical.

Matthew reached under what looked like a secret compartment I hadn’t noticed before, and took out a walkie-talkie to speak into it. “Carlos, make sure to steer away from all the other vessels and then you can return to your cabin. Please do not disturb us unless it’s an emergency. If you do, fair warning, you may see me naked,” Matthew laughed.

Matthew saying the word naked caught my attention. When I flashed my eyes at him, he winked at me. After he put the radio away, he pushed a button, and soft music filled the air around us. Leaning into each other, neither of us spoke as we stared at the magnificent view.

“Ready for tomorrow’s trip?” Matthew asked.

“I can’t believe I’m going to the London Fashion Show,” I said excitedly. “I’m so freakin’ excited I can hardly contain myself.”

Matthew snuggled into me, chuckling. “I love it when you’re excited. It makes me happy to see you happy.”

“You know what else makes me excited?” I asked in a flirty tone, running my hands across his hard chest, the chest that made me gasp for air just thinking about when he took off his sweater at the apartment.

“I can take a guess.” Matthew bit his bottom lip. Seeing him flirt back made me lose it. “I bet I got you excited when I first took off my sweater.”

He was right, but I wasn’t going to feed his ego. “You think so?” I glued my eyes to his. “I bet I got you excited when I dumped the plate of leftovers on your sweater.”

Matthew’s eyes grew wide with humor, recalling the incident. “I bet you got excited when I told you to wash it off. And then your eyes rested directly on my crotch.”

I don’t know why recalling our not so friendly, heated conversation turned me on, but I had nothing to say after that because he was damn right. Without any further hesitation, I sealed my lips on his for a quick kiss and backed away. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Matthew didn’t respond at first, taking his time staring at me with the look of longing. His look said, ‘I’m going to take you NOW’. Then he closed the gap between us, pressing his chest against my br**sts, his hands not touching me. Pulling his face into the side of my neck, he whispered, “I want to make love to you under the stars.”