18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

~ James ~

" H avana, ooh na-na, half of my heart is in Havana, ohh na-na," I sang, swaying my hips to the beat playing in my head as we strolled to the awaiting car I had gotten just for us.

"You're seriously singing Havana, right now?"

"Yeah, why not. It's a good beat and the lyrics are catchy. And we are in Havana. So, why not? Shall I sing another one? I got another one." I spun her around, moving us to the beat. "Represent, represent, Cuba. Orishas underground de La Habana. Represent, represent, Cuba, hey mi musica."

I grinned as she wrinkled her brows, slowly shaking her head. I knew that song would be a little harder to place. But music was my life, and that included musicals and soundtracks.

"I don't…I can see it, but can't place it." She stopped us and then opened her eyes. "Dirty Dancing, Havana Nights!"

"Doesn't that want to make you dance and see the sights the city has?"

"I…guess." But her grin only grew so I would take that as a yes.

"Havana, like Kingston, has a rich history. However, I have been here before. I had to come."

"Did you have something to do with the soundtrack?"

"Sadly, no." I helped her into the car and looked at the passing scene before turning to her. "Another friend lived here before he moved back to Miami. I've been out a few times. But would you believe that every time I came, it was for work, so he never took me on many tours? Or shown me any awesome parts of this city?"

"That seems rather sad, actually. Though I am glad we're seeing it together. I loved Havana Nights. Horrible acting, but it is a guilty pleasure."

I laughed at that, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close.

"We did leave earlier than others, did you see that?"

"I did, James. Why?"

"It's another special, private tour."

"You know, sir, you have pulled a lot of strings here. I'm starting to wonder about the power you have."

"No power. Just want to share these amazing things with you. Figured you might enjoy them as much as I have, or do."

And that was the truth. I loved spending time with her. She was unlike anyone else I had met. And I couldn't help but wish that we had met under different circumstances. But then, if we had, we might not have had to prove just how wrong the other was over our personalities.

Honestly, that's what fueled our passion, I felt. We enjoyed egging each other on, pushing where we could, and then taking it to the bedroom.

But everything I felt went beyond just sex. Sure, this fling was wonderful, a great pastime, and she blew my mind over and over again. However, I loved so many other things about her. She was smart, funny, talented, had a mean streak like crazy, wasn't afraid to call me out, was brave, bold, and so many other sides to her that I was still finding out.

I knew our time was closing in and fast, so I was determined to make our limited days count. I wasn't sure what would happen when we docked, and I didn't want to think about it.

"There's another fort I want to go to after the rum-making is done."

"I'm sorry, did you say rum-making?"

"Of course! A Cuban rum, in fact. I believe we even get to take it home."

"I've never made rum," she squealed, and I couldn't help the grin. It was nice to give her something she hadn't had before. Not that I had made rum either.

It was funny. For as many excursions she had done with rum tasting, she wasn't a big drinker from what I saw. Sure, she liked having a drink, but other than the first night where she knocked back a few shots pretty fast, she hadn't been drunk. Tipsy was the worst, and even that wasn't bad.

"You don't drink a lot."

"I really don't. Even more so on a boat where it's easy to misjudge an edge and go overboard. I've seen that. After that moment, I told myself to be careful. But I do like rum a lot. So, it's a staple I have to try, no matter where I go."

"Noted." I tossed a wink, making her smile, and pulled up to the building where we got the pleasure of making rum.

Two hours later, we left, laughing so hard. I don't think I've had so much fun before. And it wasn't meant to be like that. But she made it so much better, with her quick sense of humor and the antics. It was a damn good time.

"We get to walk around, ourselves," I told her as I placed my hand on her back and led her into the fort. "Careful, it might be haunted."

"Oh, with a history as rich as Havana's and in the Caribbean, no doubt it's haunted. Which is awesome. But don't expect me to stay the night. I'll enjoy a daytime trip, but I'm running in the opposite direction when the sun goes down."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from the ghosts."

"And who is going to protect you, pretty boy?"

I laughed all over again before pulling out my phone to snap a few more photos. I was surprised I had pulled it out as much as I had. I didn't look at it though. Just took pictures to capture the memories.

As Addi walked around, looking at the view from the cutouts, I would snap another photo. And it dawned on me just how many on this trip I had of her.

She pushed her blonde hair back, a smile teasing at her lips as she looked over the water. I quickly snapped another photo and then stared at her.

She was insanely gorgeous, in my opinion. So many things about her made me smile, made me enjoy my time with her, and made me not think about the future or the next step. Just living in the moment. And that was very different for me.

Ever since I was little, I was to plan for the future, think about the next step, and not enjoy the now nearly as much as I should. And yet, she had me doing things I wasn't doing before. This was honestly my sixth trip out to Havana, and my first time even exploring. Who does that?

This guy.

But thanks to this woman who I couldn't stop staring at, I experienced things.

I wanted more of that.

I needed more of that.

The problem?

When the boat hit Miami and we left it behind, how did I convince her that staying with me afterward was better for the both of us? Because at the end of the day, she was still the lawyer of my ex-wife who was trying to take everything from me.

I could ignore all that, though. Could she?

I wasn't sure, but I was determined to fight because I didn't want this to end.