Page 12 of Sun Kissed Moments

“That’s impossible,” I whispered breathlessly.

He chuckled lightly. “I’m a billionaire, my love. Nothing’s impossible.”

I wasn’t prepared for his lips to touch mine, but I didn’t freeze either. It was a quick kiss. One that left me wanting more.

He ran his thumb over my lips and said, “You want me to show you how compatible we are?”

Wantonly, I nibbled my bottom lip.

“Let me,” he mumbled against my lips.

This time, I was prepared. I closed my eyes and, thank goodness, I did. The act of our tongues intermingling caused me to feel emotions my eyes would’ve surely shown.

“Look at me when I kiss you, Justina,” he requested.

Why? I wanted to scream. He wants to torture you! Right! That was precisely his aim—

“I said, look at me, baby,” he commanded softly.

My eyes popped open and focused on his eyes. He was so damn seductive. I could lose my mind right here and damn the consequences. He drew back a little bit and smiled.

“See… That look in ya eyes is evidence that we belong together, Justina. Lie to me, so I can show you why lyin’ to me is a negative.”

I could do nothing but blink at him. The thinly veiled deranged look in his eyes chilled my blood and also heated it.

“Tell me I’m lyin’,” he coerced.

I licked my lips and said, “You’re not lying.”

He smirked. “Good girl.” Stepping back, he backtracked to his seat and sat back down. “Let’s finish eating, so I can get outta ya hair. The tension between us is too strong to fight much longer.”

“Right,” I muttered, still trying to de-escalate the fire blazing through my blood.

“Tell me ya thoughts on marriage,” he stated. I wasn’t sure how he could go from one hundred back to zero, but I was struggling.

“Um… Marriage is… Well, I thought marriage was something sacred, honorable, and meaningful.”

Sighing and finally able to calm my racing heart, I picked up my glass of wine and took a hefty sip. Talking about my dysfunctional parents wasn’t what I wanted to do with Dane. However, venting to him about my feelings was far better than venting to Nooki. Nooki’s thoughts on relationships paralleled my mama’s.

“That’s the foundation of a perfect marriage,” Dane said.

“Nothing’s perfect,” I countered.

“A year from now, five years from now, ten years from now, twenty years from now… You get my drift. You gon’ eat those words, baby. Trust me.”

The glass in my hand paused at my lips. Dane gazed into my eyes, daring me to deny what he said. There was only one way to avoid falling into Dane’s trap. I had to hide.

Are you gon’ spend your vacation hiding?

Absolutely. I had to. Dane was dangerous as fuck.

Later that evening, I mapped out a plan to dodge Dane. If I had to order room service the rest of my stay, I would do so. Subjecting myself to him would be utterly foolish. Especially since I wasn’t good for making healthy decisions until I truly cleared my mind of everything that happened in the last few weeks.

As I submerged myself inside a hot bubble bath, I leaned against the clawfoot tub and sighed. All I wanted was to be Justina for once. While I loved being Majesty, Majesty’s light was intense and eclipsed Justina. I wasn’t able to breathe without the weight of Majesty suffocating me.

Not that I wanted to quit on myself. My talent was unmatched, and I would never disown my gift just because things got sticky and intense. On the contrary, I refused to let all my hard work go to waste. As long as I blocked out the noise and remained true to myself, Justina and Majesty could continue to coexist. Despite the chatter of my breakup with Shy T clouding my upcoming album release, the noise surrounding him would eventually die down. Life would go back to some form of normalcy, and I’d get back to pretending like I wasn’t ready to be down bad in love. With someone other than Dane, of course.

I spent breakfast holed up in my suite, binge-watching Criminal Minds. By lunchtime, I was over it and ready to explore Onyx Cove Resort. However, the fear of running into Dane kept me in bed, ordering myself another round of room service. When a knock at the door signaled that my food had arrived, I crawled out of bed and dashed to the door.