Escape To Paradise: A Perfect Escapist Sweet and Spicy Summer Beach Read For 2024

Chapter 11

A Blossoming Friendship

I woke up to the smell of bacon, maple syrup, and coffee. I got up and went to the kitchen. Maverick was cooking pancakes and bacon. There was freshly brewed coffee, too.

“Smells good.”

“Good morning, Harper.” Maverick was wearing a white T-shirt and shorts.

“Isn’t this a very unhealthy breakfast for us to have?” I asked.

“We only live once. I have cheat days. Today is a cheat day.”

“Fine by me.”

I grabbed a cup of hot coffee and drank it as I watched him cook.

“I’m thinking I’ll take you to the waterfalls, and then we’ll have a chocolate and rum tour.”

“Nice. We’ll get wet,” I said. There was nothing provocative about what I said, but it seemed Maverick took it that way because his tongs almost fell. He also blushed.

He cleared his throat and said, “Yes, we’ll be swimming.”

“Nice, but surely, we’re not taking your Porsche. Are we?”

“I have another vehicle.”

“Cool.”

“Once I finish cooking the pancakes and the bacon, we’re eating outside. Sea view.”

“I’m impressed.”

He pointed to the sliding door that was obstructed by a sheer curtain. “Wait for me there. I’ll serve you.”

“I feel like such a VIP guest. Thank you.”

“You’re special to me, Harper.” Maverick said it like he really meant it.

I opened the sheer curtain to reveal an outdoor patio and the most gorgeous view of the water. We were facing the shore, which was only several feet away. I couldn’t see it last night because it was dark, but he had an amazing ocean front.

“This is amazing, Maverick. I wouldn’t mind waking up to this every day.” I marveled at the view. I sat on one of the rattan chairs and just soaked in the view, the smell of the ocean, and the light breeze.

Maverick stepped out, carrying a tray of orange juice, pancake, and bacon. There were also some fruit slices. He set it down on the table and handed me the eating utensils, and then a small bottle of maple syrup.

“You’re so kind.”

He watched me as I was getting ready to dig in. I felt self-conscious, so I invited him to join me.

“I’ve already eaten. I got my protein shake.”

“You’re a sly one. You want me to get fat.” I laughed. “Have a piece.” I cut into the bacon and pancake that I slathered with maple syrup. I loaded my fork with it and fed him. He was hesitant to take a bite, but I insisted. “You gotta eat too. No way I’m downing all these calories myself.”

He sat next to me, but he was far enough that I had to lean forward to get to his mouth. He opened his mouth for the food. “That’s pretty good maple syrup.”

“Yeah, like the organic label makes it any less unhealthy.”

“Just don’t judge my cooking please.” Maverick said.

His pancake was good, and he didn’t burn the bacon. It was the right type of crunchy. Slightly browner than I would have wanted it, but it was the thought that counts.

“Never. I can judge your cocktail-making skills but never your cooking. It’s great. Thank you.”

He seemed taken aback when I tried to hug him but eventually let me.

“You’re not used to touching and human affection, huh?” I asked.

“My childhood was austere to say the least.”

“I’m sorry. My childhood was full of hugs.” I stopped myself, suddenly remembering my mom. I couldn’t help the lump in my throat with the recollection of my long-lost childhood.

“Are you okay?” For a man, Maverick was very perceptive of my feelings.

“Yeah, I just remembered my mom.”

“Where is she?” It was an innocent question but something that I didn’t expect him to ask.

I hesitated for a bit before I answered, “She’s around.”

Sensing that I didn’t want to talk about it, he stopped pressing me for more details.

“Drink the freshly squeezed orange juice. It’s good.”

I obliged. It was indeed naturally sweet and fresh. “Hmmm. It’s good.”

Maverick stared at me with what seemed like fondness. Then he noticed that I had noticed he was gazing at me.

“Well, time for me to take a quick shower,” Maverick said, looking away.

“You’re leaving me here? I prefer you stay,” I said. “Move closer. Let’s share this meal.”

He seemed hesitant to move closer, but he did. He was so close that I could hear his breathing. And he was breathing hard like he was nervous, shifting in his seat. I teased him by offering him another bite.

Maverick’s left leg started bouncing. I didn’t know I had that effect on him. It was distracting, to say the least, but I put my hand on it to stop it from moving. He looked at my hand on his leg. I studied his face as he looked at my hand and then at me.

“It’s too distracting. You have to learn how to relax, especially around me. I don’t bite.”

“I know.” His voice was hoarse.

“You’re such a peculiar man, Maverick.”

“Peculiar?” He seemed surprised. “Out of all the words you can use to describe me. You tell me, I’m peculiar?”

“Yes. Quirky. Unique. Hard-working. Talented. Gentlemanly. Good-looking,” I blurted out.

“You think I’m talented and good-looking?”

“Yes, of course. You are good-looking. You can literally get any woman you want with your charm and character. Not to mention your wit too.”

He looked down. Was he disappointed by what I said? I couldn’t tell. He was such a mysterious guy.

Maverick helped finish my breakfast for me; I kept feeding him the food. After breakfast, we put the plate and the glass away, then we each went our separate ways to take a shower. I had put on a white bikini top and bottom but covered the bikini bottom with short shorts. Then I put on a sheer kimono mesh. I wore Velcro sandals as it was good for both hiking and taking a swim; it was very versatile.

We met up in the living room. Maverick wore a colorful, button-down Hawaiian shirt and shorts. He was well toned but not super muscular like Julian.

We went to the parking area, where several vehicles were parked. We approached a red Land Rover. Maverick opened the doors, and I got in. It looked new and smelled good.

“Do you ever get to use this?” I asked.

“Rarely. I haven’t really used this thing in a while.”

“Do you ever get a day off?”

“Define a day off.”

Maverick said our first destination would be Concord Falls. It was going to involve hiking, swimming, and possibly jumping into the water. I wasn’t an outdoor person, but as a teenager, my mother did sign me up to swimming lessons and diving lessons. But I hadn’t done diving in a while.

The drive was thirty minutes. Maverick was respectful and didn’t push to turn on the music. I just wanted to put the windows down and listen to nature as I felt the breeze. There was something calming about the plush forest, the wildflowers, and the sound of the birds as we drove to our destination. When we got there, a dozen cars were already in the parking lot. From there, it was a twenty-minute walk to the falls.

Maverick had prepared for this trip. He had an ice chest in the trunk. He grabbed a water bottle, four protein bars, and an orange and placed them in his backpack. I had a small crossbody bag, which was enough to fit the bottle, the fruit and the protein bars. I also had a small towel with me.

There were cemented steps and a rail. After fifty steps, I was already short of breath and needed to stop. I always thought that Maverick was this unhealthy guy who stayed all night and didn’t exercise. Apparently, he exercised.

Once we got to the top, we saw the pool of water and the waterfalls, which was more than a fifty-foot drop. There were several people swimming at the shallow end of the pool but what I really wanted to do was to jump from the top. I placed my bag on a dry spot near the pool and took off my shorts.

Maverick placed his backpack next to my bag. He took off his shirt, revealing well-defined pecs and abs, which I didn’t expect at all. Maverick noticed me ogling him, so I averted my gaze. I grabbed his hand as I led him further up.

“You sure you want to jump?” He sounded nervous.

“I’m not afraid of heights, are you?”

“Not really. But that’s going to be a very high drop.”

“We’re not going to jump from the top, silly.” I saw a ledge and we walked to it. It was about a fifteen-foot drop.

“I think I should jump in first,” Maverick offered.

“I can jump in first.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

I was standing at the edge of the ledge; there was no turning back now. I jumped. The water was very cold, giving me a shock. I heard a loud splash after me; it was Maverick. When I resurfaced above water, Maverick was swimming alongside me. I placed a hand on his shoulder so we could float together. He was smiling; clearly enjoying it.

“Let’s do it again!” I said invitingly.

Maverick didn’t protest. We swam out of the pool and walked back up to the ledge.

“We should jump together,” he suggested. He held my hand and counted to three.

And then, we jumped.

My hands were still on him, but Maverick was very respectful. He didn’t touch me by the waist and was mindful of unwanted touching. We held hands as we swam back to the shore. We jumped back three more times before we got exhausted and went back to the shallow end, where we sat. Our feet were still in the water.

“This is so fun, Maverick. Thanks for taking me here. It’s been a good distraction.”

“We’re not done yet. We’re going on a chocolate tour.”

We went back to his car, where we changed into dry clothes.

“No peeking,” I told him as I changed in the back seat while he changed in the front seat. After getting dressed, I went back to the front seat. I wore a white cotton dress that had a plunging neckline. Maverick tried not to stare, but he did look at my cleavage for a brief second.

We drove for twenty minutes to the chocolate farm. There was a line when we got there. The tour guide came out and stood up in front of the line.

“Welcome to the chocolate factory. On this tour, we’ll show you the process of making chocolate from bean to bar.”

We followed the tour guide as he led us to the cacao plants and then to the factory. He explained the process of roasting the cacao seeds and then pressing them to get the chocolate. At the end of the tour, we got to sample the finished product from seventy-five percent chocolate to ninety percent chocolate. The chocolate was just the right amount of sweetness. We went to the gift shop, where Maverick got a dozen chocolates bars and handed the bag to me.

“I can’t eat all of this, Maverick. I mean, I appreciate the gift.”

“Give it to your friends. They’re my loyal customers anyway.”

“Thank you. You’re the sweetest.”

We drove to our last tour of the day, which was the rum distillery. Similar to the chocolate tour, we also lined up and waited for the tour guide. The tour guide explained the entire process of making rum. At the end of our tour, we did a taste test. At the gift shop, I bought two large bottles of rum and gifted them to Maverick.

“Now we’re even. This is your gift.”

Maverick graciously accepted my gift. “I know what to make with this.”

“Endless possibilities.” I winked.

We drove to The Flamingo to drop off his two bottles of rum. He talked to Viktor for a while, telling him the bar wasn’t going to be open tonight and tomorrow night. Viktor seemed confused. I guess he had never seen his boss take a day off; it confounded him.

“And that’s why, you need to hire more staff,” I suggested to Maverick as we walked back to his SUV.

“Yeah, I have been thinking about it. Viktor’s going to take care of it. He knows good people who can work for us.”

Two other family members of Viktor worked for Maverick, including his cousin, Barry, who also did some occasional errands for Maverick.

“You’re really kind and generous to Viktor and his family.”

“I just want to make an impact on this community. I love it here. I don’t feel like I’m working.”

“Me too.”

We picked up some Chinese takeout. It always amazed me that wherever you could be in the world, there would always be Chinese takeout. Maverick got white rice, sweet and sour chicken, and vegetables. We went back to his villa. I jumped into the shower room where I hand-washed my bikini and hung it on the shower rack.

“You want to take a swim later?” he asked.

“In your lovely pool? Of course.”

We ate the Chinese takeout at the outdoor patio. As we ate the delicious food, we chatted about our childhood. Maverick grew up in California but had moved around and lived in several states. I also found out that he was married to his wife for five years before their relationship ended.

“We just grew apart over the years,” he told me. He had finished the last piece of chicken. I was eating the vegetable stir fry.

“I always thought I’d be married by now,” I revealed. “Our separation was unexpected.” I was referring to Benoit. I had experienced two heartaches within less than a year, which wasn’t good. “I also didn’t expect to meet and hook up with Julian.”

The mention of Julian seemed to make Maverick uncomfortable. Is that jealousy in his eyes? So, I added, “But that turned out to be a mistake.”

“Let the past stay in the past,” he said.

“Yes. I agree.” Although Maverick did his best to distract me today, I was still heartbroken. Julian meant a lot to me, but his act of betrayal had made me question my life choices. I made a mental note of never mentioning Julian again to Maverick.

Maverick invited me to walk by the beachfront. We strolled in silence in the seashore, enjoying the cool breeze. The sound of the waves was calming.

Maverick’s property was bigger than I thought. Two villas seemed to be occupied, with their lights on. Some of the villas were still under construction, but two other finished villas were dark and unoccupied.

“You can invite your crew here after your next charter ends. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it here. I’m inviting them as guests. One of the villas has recently been furnished and is ready for rental in a few weeks.”

“Thank you. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.”

“I’d very much like for them to join us here soon.”

We went back to the villa so we could change into our swimwear. I brought an extra swimsuit—a yellow one. I followed Maverick as we walked towards the well-lit pool area. There was no one there but the two of us. I jumped into the pool, and he jumped in after me. I swam to the opposite end, and Maverick followed me. We started playing in the water, splashing each other.

When we got tired, I started floating on my back and admired the clear sky with the bright moon and stars. I had carried so much heaviness on my shoulders for so long now, it felt good to allow myself to let go. I noticed that Maverick had swam to the shallow end of the pool and was just staring at me. It was hard to read his green eyes.

So, I swam towards him, stopping when I was close to him. We just stared at each other for a few seconds. I felt so comfortable with him. He didn’t judge me at all. He was just there for me. I was drawn closer and closer to him, as if a moth to a flame. I was familiar with the look in his eyes. It was the same look on Julian’s face before he kissed me. The same look that Benoit had for me when our eyes first met.

Now was the perfect moment for a kiss. But I stopped myself. I had just gotten out of two relationships. I wasn’t going to crash and burn into another one. Besides, I valued my friendship with Maverick. And at this time in my life, that was what I needed the most. Just someone that would be there for me as a friend. Someone who would accept me and not judge me for making mistakes. Maverick was the perfect guy for the job.

To ease the tension, I splashed his face with water. He smiled and did the same. Soon, we were chasing each other in the pool.

“What’s our agenda for tomorrow?”

“Agenda? You sound like we have a business meeting or something.” Maverick laughed; I did sound transactional.

“Let’s do something fun and something I haven’t tried before.”

“We can go scuba diving,” Maverick suggested.

I hesitated for a bit, because he was right. Scuba diving wasn’t something I have tried before. “Don’t you need lessons for that?”

“Yes, but it’s very short. Maybe thirty minutes. There’s a diving site with underwater sculptures.”

“Did you say sculptures? I am in.”

We stayed in the pool for another hour until we got hungry.

“Last one to make it to the villa will cook breakfast tomorrow,” Maverick announced.

I was quicker than Maverick. I dunked his head in the water before running back to the villa. I could hear Maverick running after me. I reached the door, but I felt Maverick’s hand around my waist, stopping me.

“Hey, no cheating!” I protested.

Maverick lifted me and grabbed the door. He set me gently on the couch, but because we were still wet, he slipped and landed on top of me. It was hard to resist kissing him now. He was looking at me with so much intensity. He leaned over and kissed me on the lips. I kissed him back. His kiss felt so good and so right. It was sweet and tender. His lips were soft, and he kissed really well.

I felt his hand on my breast and at first, I just gave in to it. I could feel his member getting hard against my stomach, and I reached for it. But then…

“We shouldn’t do this, Maverick,” I said weakly.

“Why?” He was breathing heavily. He kissed me on the lips again.

“I’m not ready.”

Maverick stopped, which I was sure took every ounce of his strength. Similarly, it took every ounce of my strength to stop him from making love to me.

“Okay. I respect that.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t jump into another relationship yet. It’s too soon.”

“I understand.” Maverick got up.

I lay there on the couch, just looking up at the ceiling. My heart was beating fast. I wanted him to fuck me so badly, but it was too soon to jump into bed with another guy.

Maverick walked off, saying he was going to take a shower. He was fully aroused and it might take a while for him to recover. I got out of the couch and went to get a cold shower myself. Unfortunately, the only way to relieve me of my horniness was to masturbate in the shower, which I did, careful not to make too much noise. After taking care of my business, I slipped into my nightgown and came out of my room.

Maverick was on the couch. He had made hot tea and offered me some. I sat across from him. There was an awkward silence for a while, but it was Maverick who brought the subject up.

“I’m sorry for what happened earlier.” Maverick looked at me with his luminous green eyes.

“No, it’s my fault.”

“I’m here for you, Harper. And I’m willing to wait until you’re ready.”

“I know. Thanks for respecting that,” I said and sipped from the hot tea that he gave me.

He did, too. We just sat across from each other, sipping our tea, and not saying much for the rest of the evening.