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She melted into him, and he kissed her until she was dizzy and weak in the knees. Her arms around his neck helped keep her on her feet, but their bodies pressed together like they were intensified the sensations coursing through her. Never in her life had she been kissed this way—sweet and gentle, yet blazing with the passion and desire she knew he was holding back. She knew, because she was doing the same thing.
His forehead met hers. “I’ll miss that.”
“Ya think?” She smirked.
“But mostly you.” He reached up with one hand and slid his fingers through the length of her hair.
She moved her forefinger along the skin of his neck and traced along his jaw and over his chin to his full bottom lip. “I’ll miss you too.”
The past week had flown by, and every day it was almost as if she was floating on a cloud. She loved being close to Kurtis, working together on the regatta, spending time together outside of work. They made a perfect team, and she was very close to having all the items checked off of her list.
There was still one thing bugging her, though. Whenever she asked about his family or tried to learn more about his life outside of work, he still gave her vague answers or steered the conversation to other topics. They knew a lot about each other, but she didn’t even know where he lived. And it disappointed her that she was already more invested in this relationship than he was. They’d only known each other a month, though, and this being her first real dating relationship, she wasn’t exactly sure how things were done. She didn’t want to come across as too naive, but it seemed like common sense that if you truly cared for someone and thought there might be a future with them, that you would want the person to know all about you. She’d taken him to the farm and introduced him to her mom before they were even an official couple.
Still, she wasn’t sure if she should broach the subject yet. She wanted him to want to share things with her. So, for the time being, she let it go. That, and the fact that he hadn't said anything more about disclosing their relationship to Human Resources.
Today, though, she didn’t want to think about anything other than spending every moment she could with Kurtis, because he was leaving tomorrow morning for a corporate conference in San Francisco before spending a few days at the Schultz Chocolate factory in nearby San Jose.
“How am I going to finish all the final items on my list?” she pouted.
He tapped the tip of her nose. “You’ll get them done. And I’ll be back on Friday, so whatever last minute details you need help with on Saturday, I’m your man.”
She grinned. “Yes you are.”
He chuckled at that and kissed her again.
On the morning of the regatta, Genevieve arrived at the yacht club early to check in on the team setting up for the gala that night. Everything looked incredible already, and the room was only half put together. The decor was black and gold—black tablecloths, gold curtains, vases of white roses and hydrangeas centered on the tables with black and white feathers sticking out and strands of pearls spilling over the edges. The stage background had been built in a giant gold art deco pattern with professional lighting above and behind to give everything a warm glow. And there was a dance floor set up in the center of the room with the Schultz Chocolate logo projected onto the floor.
Genevieve stood there, staring in disbelief at her vision come to life.
“This looks amazing.” Kurtis’s voice hummed next to her ear, and she spun around and launched herself at him.
“You’re here!”
He squeezed her tightly before planting a soft kiss on her cheek. “See, you didn’t need me to get everything done.”
She let go and faced the room again. “It really does look great, doesn’t it?”
He put his arm around behind her waist and pulled her into his side. “I never doubted it for a second.”
She was about to thank him for being so supportive when he brought her body flush with his and interrupted all coherent thought with a scorching kiss. When his lips moved away, her eyes remained closed while she recovered. She nearly fell forward when he loosened his grip on her.
He chuckled as he steadied her, and she finally opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
“I missed you.” He was grinning like a fool.
She lay her hand on his chest. “I missed you too.”
“Are you ready for today?”
“I think so.” She glanced around the room. “Looks like they’re making great progress in here. We should go check and make sure everything’s getting set up outside.”
“Okay.” He let her go, and they ventured out to the yard.
The outdoor team was already assembled, and most things had been set up the night before. Food trucks had started to arrive. The dinghies were lined up for a race at noon. But there were a few last minute things going up, like the inflatable floating obstacle course in the lake and the games and activities in the kids’ tent.
Genevieve hoped there would be something for everyone to enjoy during the day.
The regatta was scheduled for two-thirty in the afternoon, followed by the gala at seven.