CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Harper sat with her toes in the sand and wiggled them. Beside her, Daniel sat eating a double scoop of chocolate ice cream.
“New Zealand dairy really is incredible. I thought it was just hearsay. God, this is delicious,” Daniel said.
She grinned.
They’d spent another day in Hawaii so Daniel could recover from his flight, and then a driver had taken them to a private airfield on Oahu for their flight to New Zealand.
Harper's mouth had dropped open as she took in the large private jet. Inside, it was like a luxurious living room. White and beige leather seats and sofas filled three different spaces and there were at least six crew she had spotted.
At least if her luggage exploded, she wouldn’t lose it.
She had tried to act cool, but Daniel had pulled her up against him and said, “It’s okay to be overwhelmed by all this, sweetheart. It’s going to take some time to adjust. Just be you, okay?”
“Well then, in that case, fucking hell,” she said and saw one of the crew smile.
The truth was, she didn’t know if she’d ever get used to a billionaire lifestyle, but she loved Daniel and they both had some adapting to do.
They’d made love in the bedroom at the rear of the plane and enjoyed a delicious three-course meal during their flight—plus snacks—so Harper thought she’d adjust just fine.
The waves crashed gently on the golden sands in front of her as people swam, played in the sand, and sunbathed in the late summer sun.
A dog ran past them, chasing a seagull, and Harper laughed. She turned to watch Daniel manage his melting ice cream with his skilled tongue, and she grinned.
He raised a brow. “Keep looking at me like that and we’re going straight home.”
She laughed, and he planted his chocolate-covered lips on hers. Harper giggled and licked her lips clean.
She had a surprise for him. One she knew he would like.
“Speaking of home,” she said, and Daniel instantly lowered his ice cream.
“Yes?” he asked, all humor gone from his face.
“Yes,” Harper said.
He dropped the ice cream to the sand and twisted to face her. “Yes, yes? Or yes?”
“Yes, I’ll move to New York with you,” she said, bursting into joyous laughter as Daniel tackled her to the sand and kissed her passionately. Her giggles faded as the weight of his body settled on hers in a possessive and protective manner.
She was his.
Body, mind, and soul.
Over the past few weeks, Daniel had proven she was his everything. He’d walked away from a multi-billion-dollar business to put Harper first, despite some of the mess that was going on.
She knew he hadn’t shared everything and understood it was for her protection. The world of politics, money and power was a dangerous one at times—something she’d had to consider while deciding whether to step into his life.
But how could she not?
She loved Daniel with all her heart and couldn’t imagine living without him.
Daniel and Kristen had hit it off immediately, and after a night out at one of Auckland’s hottest night spots, the two of them had bonded over a love of whisky. That Daniel could buy them all the best of the best had helped, but Harper had just sat back and smiled, watching her two favorite people together.
Her mother was a different story.
It was clear to Harper now her mother didn’t trust a soul, not even herself. Daniel saw through it and said it was only important to him what Harper felt. And she loved him for it.