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Tears slid down my face. “Damn her.”
I love you, Natalie.
“Don’t be angry with her.”
“I wanted you to be free.”
He grasped my hand and squeezed it, willing me to be silent. “These past few months have been so goddamn miserable. You didn’t set me free.”
“I was trying to do the right thing!”
“I miss you. I want you and I will not let anyone else get in my way.”
“Luke, it’s too m—much. I can’t ask you to give everything away.”
“It’s my decision,” he said in a hard voice. “I don’t need the fucking money, but I’ll die if I don’t have you.”
I choked into the hands that cradled my face. I don’t know which of us started forward, but we both launched ourselves and our faces joined, the salty tears dripping into my mouth as he held me so tightly against his chest I couldn’t breathe. Then I felt like I was in one of those romantic comedies, those silly movies where the man picks up the girl in his arms and kisses her like it’s the last one he’ll ever have.
He came back for me.
I broke off the kiss and laughed in utter joy as Luke’s smile spread across his face.
11
I stretched out on the beach towel, closing my eyes as the sun stroked my body with its warm gaze. The roll of the ocean soothed my ears with its gentle lullaby. Eyes closed, I groped with my hand and found the tropical drink perched on a mound of hot sand.
I could get used to this.
There were perks to having a rich boyfriend, like the access to one of the most exclusive, private beaches in Bora Bora: unlimited drinks, beach side service, and the gentle sound of the waves. I opened my eyes and a bright sky burned my eyeballs. I sat up and watched Luke swimming through the ocean waves, his arms rising and water droplets glittering from them like diamonds.
A smile crept over my face as I watched his arms crash through the waves. He deserved to have a moment of levity after everything that happened.
He needed to get away from it all.
Luke reconciled with his father. He told me he went to the hospice after we broke up and they had a heart to heart. After his father died, Luke only received a meager five hundred thousand with a note:
After all these years, I realized I loved the money more than my family. It’s too much for one person. I do not want to change the man you’ve become. I love you, Luke. -Dad
Luke’s father had given a similar portion to his uncle, who did not waste time in uttering how disappointed he was. The rest of his fortune was given to charities and other businesses. Luke had already raged and grieved over the money.
He may not have believed in the message his father wrote, but I did. My eyes teared under the blazing sun as I recalled the words on his father’s last farewell.
I hastily wiped the wetness from my eyes as Luke emerged from the water, his board trailing behind him.
Damn.
There was nothing like watching the beads of water roll down his broad chest, which sparkled in the sunlight. Every time I looked at him, there was still that swooping sensation of joy and disbelief.
Dripping, he sat down next to me and leaned over. Water from his hair pelted my face, but I didn’t mind because the heat baked my sin. He blocked out the sun and smiled as his soaking head hovered over mine.
“Come here.”
I allowed him to pull me upright into his chilly embrace, sparks exploding underneath my skin as he swept his arm around my back. His wet lips touched mine, and I wrapped my hands around his damp head to deepen the kiss. When he pulled away my heart was flip-flopping in my chest.
“We don’t take enough vacations.”
“We’ve only been together six months.”
