Ouch! my ceo fiancé fell for his maid by Lisa alman

5- It's My Place, Long Legs! (Book 2)

'Where are we exactly going?" I turned to him in his luxury car when he turned the steering to an unknown route. The road over there seemed a bit rough and patchy. I didn't think if I had ever been to this part of Arguli.

"Don't worry, I am not kidnapping you," he reassured me jokingly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Do you like water? Like going to the beaches and all."

A big grin settled on my face, "Oh, I love it!" I told him excitingly, "Are we going to Arguli Beach?" "No," he replied, his smile growing wider. "We're not going to the Arguli beach though. We're going a little deeper than that. But don't worry, wherever you don't find it comfortable, just let me know."

As we continued driving, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement mixed with curiosity. Where was he taking me?

Finally, he pulled up in front of a small cabin with kayaks lined up outside. That's when it hit me. We were going kayaking! "We're going kayaking?" I asked, my voice laced with surprise.

'Yes," he replied with a grin. "I thought it would be a fun way for us to explore the deeper side of the sea."

Yoyo! I was touched by his thoughtfulness. Man! It was refreshing to know that he loved water as much as I did.

As we walked towards the kayaks, he showed me how to put on the life jacket and helped me into the kayak. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins as we paddled out into the ocean. The water was a brilliant blue-green, and the sun was shining down on us. I couldn't believe I was out on the water with him, paddling side-by-side, the two of us a tiny speck on the vast, open ocean. As we glided along, the rhythmic sound of the paddles hitting the water was soothing, and the view of the deep sea was breathtaking. The wind blew through my hair, and I couldn't help but feel alive. I could see the joy in his eyes as well and that just made the moment even more special. It was such a simple yet beautiful surprise. I knew whether we decided to stay together or not it was going to be a memory that I would treasure forever.

It was then that I realized that we shared the same interests. Books and water.

Testing the deeper water was fine. But I was not ready to fall for anyone right now.

"You seem to know about kayaking so well," I say as we leave the paddles, and the kayak starts rocking in the sea.

"Yeah, I do. I used to do it a lot when I was a child, along with my father.

We both used to love it a lot," "Really? That's amazing," I say, smiling at him, "I had never been kayaking before until today. It's quite an experience being out here in the middle of the ocean."

He looked at me with thoughtful eyes, the sunlight dancing in those green orbs, and he nodded, "It is, isn't it? There's something so peaceful about being out here surrounded by water. It's like everything else just fades away and it's just you and the sea."

I looked out at the endless expanse of blue, feeling a sense of calm wash over me. "I can see why you love it so much. It's like a different world out here. So peaceful. So calm."

He chuckled, "Yeah, it definitely is. You know, my father used to tell me that the sea has a way of healing you. Whenever he was feeling stressed or overwhelmed, he would take me out on the kayak, and we would just paddle out into the ocean. And by the time we came back, he would always feel better."

I looked at him with curiosity. "Do you feel that way too? Like the ocean has the power to heal you?" I wish I could ask him if I would ever get healing from this intense pain I usually felt in my chest. The pain that my doctors used to relate to anxiety. Depression.

His voice came through my random thoughts, "I think so, long legs. There's something about the sound of the waves and the feeling of the water that just puts everything into perspective. It's like all your problems just become smaller in comparison to the vastness of the ocean."

We sat in silence for a few moments, both lost in our thoughts before he spoke again. "I'm glad I can share this experience with you. It means a lot to me. I never spoke this much to anyone. Never shared about this ocean diminishing our problems crap!"

I smile at him warmly. "It's not crap," I told him gently, 'Thank you for bringing me out here."

As we paddled back to the shore, we started joking and teasing each other. He pretended to splash water at me with the paddle and I screamed and laughed, playfully pushing him away.

"Hey, watch it!" I said, trying to keep a straight face. "I don't want to get soaked. I haven't gotten an extra pair of clothes!"

He grinned mischievously. "Oh, come on, where's your sense of adventure?" the gleam in his eyes multiplied, 'There is a reason you have got a beautiful figure!"

God! Did he just tell me subtly and playfully that I could roam around without my clothes just because I had a beautiful figure?

"Shut up, Adonis. And I think I used all my sense of adventure out there on the ocean," I said, winking at him.

We continued to joke around, and I couldn't help but felt a sense of comfort around him. It was like we'd known each other for years, not just for a few hours.

As we neared the shore, we started to slow down and focused on steering the kayak back onto the sand. Once we were safely on shore, we both jumped out of it and started to drag it up onto the beach. "Wow, that was quite the adventure," he said, stretching his arms above his head.

I nod in agreement trying to avoid looking at the muscles, "Yeah, it was amazing. I never thought I'd enjoy kayaking so much. It was the first time I tried it."

He chuckled, "Well, I'm glad that you had fun." He shifted back my hair gently over my shoulder.

"Thank you for taking me out there. I had a really fun time."

He waved his hand dismissively, "No need to thank me, long legs. It was my pleasure."

We stood there for a moment, the warm sun on our faces and the sound of the waves in the background before he broke the silence.

"So, what do you say we grab some ice cream and continue this adventure on land?"

I laughed, "What? Really? Are you serious?" At this point, I was expecting a goodbye from him, "Sounds like a plan. Just this time don't try to splash me with it." He grinned and rolled his eyes, "Ah. That, I guess, I will decide later. No promises."

As we drove back to town, the sun started to set, casting a golden glow over the ocean. We giggled for a while, reminiscing about our playful banter on the water.

Once we arrived in town, I was surprised when he stopped the car in front of the mall. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What are we doing here? Shopping?" "Just some window shopping to kill time," he replied with a grin. "If you see anything you like, feel free to buy it. Or we can just grab an early lunch."

I looked around the mall, but nothing caught my eye. "I'm not really in the mood for shopping," I said with a shrug., "By the way I can afford to buy my own things, Adonis," I informed him a little too seriously. "Of course, you can." He did not seem the least bit offended, "After all you are the owner of a beauty salon who might be thinking or planning to branch out in the near future." He shrugged.

Ah! I wish I could share my salon plans with him. But that didn't seem appropriate as he stated earlier... We were just testing the waters.

'Yeah. And I might ask you to buy me furniture for my upcoming branch." I waved my hand dramatically, "Once my branches will be all over the USA, I might be buying the latest model of Mercedes Benz and take you on a drive."

This time he didn't remark and kept staring at me.

'What?" I wondered if I got out of line.

'You are talking about the future. You know? It gives me hope that we might meet again." He whispered hopefully and sighed, holding my hand. And then he did something unexpected. As if he could not take it anymore, he lifted my hand and kissed it, squeezing it afterwards.

Last time, he kissed me on my forehead, and now this one on my hand. Both gave me a sense of euphoria. I didn't know that if a simple kiss could evoke emotions in every fiber of my body then what would a kiss on my lips do?

I gulped and tried to clear my throat, "H... How about we grab a bite to eat instead?"

He smiled and snapped his fingers before my eyes, "I know just the right place."

We left the mall and walked a few blocks to a fancy restaurant with a stunning view of the small city. The waitstaff greeted us warmly and led us to a table by the window.

"You already paid for our lunch date," I whispered while we followed the manager, 'The dinner date is on me."

He didn't respond to that giving me the impression that he either didn't hear me or ignored it. As we perused the menu, he told me about his favorite dishes and recommended a few options. I decided to try the seafood pasta, while he ordered a steak.

"That was not a date, long legs." He said when the waiter left, "This is a simple dinner and in no way, I am letting you pay. That's not happening." He said stubbornly.

"If it was not a date then what was it? Care to explain?" I asked him playfully.

"Umm. Let's say we are just trying to get to know each other." He explained, "If I will take you on a proper date then I won't let you bring your car. I would rather pick you up from your place. And that will only happen if you will share your address." He leaned ahead, propping his elbows on the table, "And you know what? You will share your address once you will start trusting me."

I gave him a tight-lipped smile and started pretending like I was studying the surroundings.

Once the dinner was served, we talked about our lives, our dreams, and shared our love for books and adventures.

As the night wore on and the restaurant emptied out, we lingered over our dessert, savoring the last few moments of our perfect day.

As we walked back to his car, he took my hand and squeezed it gently." Thank you for today," he said softly. "I had a really great time with you."

I smiled up at him. "Me too. To be honest I was not expecting this day to turn out so good."

He grinned. "Oh, there will be plenty more adventures, I promise you that."

He nodded at me meaningfully, "If you will allow me." "Yeah!" I nodded too a little clumsily with a forced smile.

I tried to smile again when I found him staring at me.

I felt my cheeks flush at his gaze. I couldn't help but feel nervous and excited at the same time. I think... I needed to take the first step. The man was such a gentleman.

He would never do anything without my consent.

I stepped closer to him and placed my palms on his hard chest. Biting my lip, contemplating for a moment I gave him a shy nod.

As expected, he was smart. The man did take the hint. Gulping hard, slowly, he leaned forward, giving me plenty of time to back away if I wanted to.

But I didn't want to. I wanted this just as much as he did. The moment his lips touched mine, my arms went around his neck. I felt him circling his arms around my waist and pulling me to him.

His lips were soft and warm as they kept grazing mine, and I felt a rush of butterflies in my stomach. We kissed gently at first, exploring each other's mouths with a tentative curiosity.

As the kiss deepened, I felt his hand on the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him. I could feel his heartbeat against my chest, matching my own. The warmth of his body enveloped me, and I lost myself in the moment.

Eventually, we pulled back a little, still holding each other, both of us breathless. He looked at me, his eyes shining with affection. "I know we just met and ... just spent a day together, but I feel like I've known you forever," he murmured and brushed his knuckle against my cheek.

I smiled at him, feeling a warmth spreading through me. "I know what you mean," I nodded at him, "It's like ... like we have this connection that I can't explain."

He looked around as if he wanted to clear his mind, "I ... I don't want this day to end," he said.

"Me neither," I whispered against his mouth, "What's next?"

He shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" he said, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Or" he got serious, "Let me rephrase it. We will wait until you give me a green flag to take things further."

Oh, my God. What did he mean? Did he mean that he was ready for intimacy and wanted to wait for my consent?

Won't I look desperate if I would tell him that I wanted him now? But if it won't work then at least the pain would be lesser. I won't regret it at least. Yes, that made sense. It must be now or never.

I managed a nervous smile on my face and mustered up the courage to ask a million-dollar question, 'Your place or mine?"

At first, I thought he would make fun of me. But his face was serious, and he was looking into my eyes. Maybe trying to assess my soul.

At last, when I thought he would reject me, he cupped my cheek, "You tell me." He said gently, "Should we go for a toss?"

Gosh! This man! He could easily transform something serious into something this funny.

'Take out your phone," I smiled enjoying this, "let's measure the distance of our homes by using maps," I said and took out my phone from my purse and switched on the location. "And why is that?" he asked me in confusion.

'We will measure the distance," I focused my eyes on my phone, 'The one living nearest will host the other."

I looked up but could not move away my eyes when I witnessed this familiar gleam in those green eyes.

'What?" I frowned at him, "Did I say something wrong?" "No, you didn't. Actually, it's not that hard to measure the distance of my apartment." He said casually.

"Really? Where is it then?" he held me by my shoulders and turned me to one-eighty degrees. 'There." Standing behind, he pointed to a building over my shoulder, Those are my apartments." My heart skipped a beat, and I felt his breath against my hair, "So, I guess, it's my place, long legs!"