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This isn’t the time to talk about the future, though. My sole focus is pleasuring her, and the way she gasps when I slide my fingers between her pussy lips is all the encouragement I need.
It’s not just a dream anymore—she’s in the shower with me right now. And I plan to enjoy every last second.
Chapter Fifteen
Stella
* * *
“Seriously, Stella, I was starting to think you might’ve lost your phone.”
I smile at Claire’s greeting. This solo walk on the beach after my day in bed with Ben is the first chance I’ve had to call Claire, who’s been texting me a lot with questions about the trip.
“Sorry, it’s been crazy. We’re in this ambassadors program that Owen signed us up for, so we have activities all the time, and I’m hardly ever alone.”
“How much cornstarch should I put in stir fry sauce to thicken it? My mom wrote out this recipe for me and it just says ‘Add cornstarch to thicken.’ Is that like a tablespoon or half a cup?”
“I’d start with a tablespoon and see what you think.”
“Okay. Is that the ocean in the background?”
I look out at the water, the sun almost fully set. “It is. This place is so beautiful, you’d love it.”
“I’m sure it is, but I don’t want to hear about the scenery. Are you guys sharing a room? Have you heard from the devil incarnate? Have you considered my arguments for you to keep the ring?”
I smile. I miss Claire. Anytime something in my life feels heavy, she’s right beside me shouldering as much of the weight as I need.
“I don’t want the ring.”
“I know, but”
I cut her off. “I’m not selling it and making a donation in his name to a charity for impotent men, either. Love the thought, but no. I’m giving it back. And I blocked him, so I haven’t heard from him.”
“And you aren’t having any thoughts of forgiving him, right?”
Does she mean before or after I rode his brother like a cowgirl on a bucking bronco? I haven’t had thoughts of Owen at all, beyond the first couple of days here when I was still asking myself how I could have been so stupid.
“Definitely not.”
“Thank God. I had a dream the other night that you got back with him and I had to break into your house and kidnap you.”
Only Claire. She’d do it, too.
“On a brighter note, it hurts to move because every muscle from my waist down is sore.”
She gasps. “You went parasailing! I want photos!”
I furrow my brow, confused about why she thinks parasailing makes your lower body sore.
“I didn’t go parasailing.”
“Well then...oh. Holy shit. Fuck this stir fry, I’m sitting down. You slept with someone?”
Someone? She’s going to make me spell this out.
“Ben.”
Her inhale is so long and dramatic that I start to worry about her breathing. Finally, she speaks.
“Oh my cock, I did not see that coming. You...” She squeals with excitement. “Stella, you bad, amazing woman. Tell me everything.”
I do, and it feels great to finally get to talk to my best friend about it. She switches into listening mode, mostly giving the occasional hum of agreement to let me know she’s still there.
“He said it like that? Never doubt that I find you incredibly sexy?”
“Yes.”
When I recount the sex yesterday, she sighs softly. “What did he say before the sex?”
“What did he say? Um, he asked if I was sure. And he said he needed to hear me tell him that I wanted him.”
“Wow. I can’t believe this.”
“I know, me either. I guess it’s just being here alone, with nothing else to worry about. It took us both by surprise, too.”
There’s a pause before she says, “Did he say that?”
“Say what?”
“Did he say he just starting feeling this way for you on this trip?”
I scoff. “Well, no. But obviously, we had a platonic relationship before this. Neither of us even considered us being more than friends.”
“I don’t think so, Stel.”
I frown, watching an older woman walk on the beach with a barefoot girl searching for shells.
Claire tone is gentle as she continues. “From the things he said to you, I think maybe Ben already had feelings for you. He just never had a chance to act on them.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’d know if you were here. It was couples’ massage and a day alone at a beach house that brought us together.”
“But why would he plan a day alone with you at a beach house?”
Every response I think of feels lame, so I don’t answer.
“It shouldn’t change anything,” she says. “Honestly, it just makes him even hotter. He’s loved you from afar but is too noble to say anything until he ends up with a chance he never thought he’d have. He’s always looked at you like”
“No.” My argument comes out louder than I meant it to. “Ben would tell me. He’s honest with me.”
