AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Her mom recently moved away,” I say. “And that’s the end of it.”
“I’m sorry. But thank you for sharing your story,” he says.
I don’t want to talk about it anymore. “I’m drained just from telling it,” I say, hoping he gets the hint.
Instead, he lifts his hand, calling the flight attendant over. “Miss? We’re going to need some champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, if you don’t mind.” And he covers me in a soft blanket, re-wraps his big strong arm around me, and delicately feeds me strawberries.
I’ve had two already, but the third one he holds against my lips, pulling it away when I go to bite. “First, tell me where we’re going.”
“You really don’t like surprises, do you,” I say. I reach out, grabbing the strawberry. “But for once, you’re not the one in charge.”
twenty-six
Savage
I couldn’t cut the trip short. I wanted more time with her. So now we’re standing side by side in a white stone mansion.
“Thanks for coming,” she says. “I felt I owed the guys for putting up with my teen vampire romance tour as you like to call it. I know they all have buddies here and I figured their workload would be a lot less here than in the middle of Europe somewhere.”
I think of having her in all those wide-open spaces, the dangers that could lurk in every corner. “You were right. But it’s your time to travel. You can go anywhere you want. The guys are happy to keep you safe. You sure you want to spend the rest of your free time here?”
“Yup.” She gazes over the teal and blue ocean, happiness all over her pretty face. “I love it here. It’s my favorite place to vacation.”
A staff member holds out a tray of martini glasses filled with pink liquid. “Pomegranate daquiri?”
“My favorite! You guys always have these ready when I arrive. Thanks.” Her comment takes me back to a time before I was a millionaire, when no one on this earth knew my food preferences, much less my favorite vacation drink.
What even was a vacation back then? An afternoon at the Jersey shore? My uncle pulling light beer from a cooler while my dad chain-smoked.
She delicately pinches the glass stem. “I don’t even have my bikini on yet.”
The mention of her in a bikini brings me back to the moment. I get to lay out beside her, her warm, tanned skin barely covered. I mean, I have to. It is my job.
We settle in and change. The staff have an area waiting for us on the shore. Two lounge chairs with umbrellas in case we want shade later. She’s looking decadent in a modest blue two-piece with white polka dots.
She hands me a bottle of sunscreen. “Mind lubing me up?” Instantly, she goes pink, thinking of the connotations.
“Sure.” Not wanting to embarrass her further, I take the bottle, rubbing the coconut-scented lotion into her skin.
We lie back on our chairs and talk about the family. Her Hamlet. My Village. The differences between the two. We both agree that here, the Parish, our private Greek island is the best of the three. We flirt. We argue. We cool off in the water, splashing one another. We dry off in the sun, snacking on a cheese board they’ve brought us. I don’t want her getting burned, so I get up, moving the umbrella over her.
“Thanks. I was probably turning pink.”
“Not on my watch.” I examine her skin. “You’re sun-kissed already.”
“You’ve taken great care of me. All your men have. I hope they enjoy being here.” She pops a purple grape in her mouth.
“They do. Thanks.”
She lays back. No longer needing the sunglasses, she perches them on top of her head. “Alright, you owe me. Now’s the perfect time.”
“For what?”
She eyes me. “Wound for a wound. I told you about Pippa. Now tell me who broke your heart.”
“Who said I had my heart?—"
“And I quote.” She holds up a manicured fingernail to stop me. “Love doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t work at all.” She stares at me. “That’s what you said that night at my birthday party.”
